WASHINGTON, D.C. – With only 40 minutes to recharge after the previous match, Army suffered a 3-0 loss in its second match at the Service Academy challenge to No. 8 Stanford on Friday night. Senior co-captain Margaux Jarka and senior Kerry Horan led to way with nine and seven kills, respectively.

The nationally ranked Cardinal held the Black Knights to a 25-15 triumph in the first set before taking sets two and three by 25-17 scores.

“Stanford is an all around great team and is ranked number eight in the country so we knew it was going to be tough,” said head coach Alma Kovaci. “We only had 40 minutes after Air Force to prepare for this game and I am proud of the team’s work. We played hard and were with them until the middle of each set but Stanford did the right things physically and mentally to close out the match. Again, I am very proud of our team’s fight tonight,” Kovaci concluded.

Sophomore setter Vanessa Edwards reached double-digits in the match with 24 assists. Both Edwards and senior co-captain D.J. Phee accounted for nine digs. While the Black Knights struggled offensively, they held Stanford to a .337 average hitting percentage.

Army scored the first point of the set, thanks to a kill from Horan. While the Black Knights managed to stay close in close range, Stanford took a 13-6 lead early on in the set. By forcing errors on the Black Knights, the Cardinal maintained a 10-point lead throughout the set. Stanford went out to close the set with a 25-15 victory.

After a kill from freshman outside hitter Olivia Fairfield to start the set, the teams went point-for-point early on. After managing to only score two points, 10-2, kills from Horan, Jarka and freshman middle blocker Alexandra Bell, tied the score 14-14. As the match progressed Stanford pushed through allowing Army to score three points in the remainder of the set. The Cardinal finished the set with a 25-17 win.

In the final set, Army pushed it out and went point-for-point to start the set with a 4-4 tie. While Stanford maintained the lead, the Black Knights stayed close behind and managed a 15-15 tie mid-match. The following point belonged to Stanford, as it took the lead for good, outscoring Army 10-2 down the stretch. The Cardinal came out with a 25-17 triumph over the Black Knights.

Army will take the court in Washington, D.C., tomorrow afternoon against Yale for its final match of the tournament. Stats and a recap will follow the match on goARMYsports.com.